This invention relates to vehicle-mounted equipment carriers, and more particularly to an equipment carrier adapted for removable mounting to the rear of a vehicle.
Various types of vehicle-mounted equipment carriers are known for enabling a user to mount one or more items of equipment, such as bicycles, skis, etc., to a vehicle for transport. Common types of equipment carries include trunk or rear-mounted carriers, hitch-mounted carriers and roof-mounted carriers.
In a rear or trunk-mounted type of carrier, it is typically desirable to tailor the configuration of the carrier according to the type of vehicle to which the carrier is to be mounted. Typically, prior art carriers of this type incorporate a variable position connection between the carrier frame and the support members that are adapted to support the one or more items of equipment. Examples of this type of carrier are shown in Graber U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,085,874; 4,182,467; and 4,394,948, as well as Piretti et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,670, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Pedrini U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,970, also incorporated by reference, discloses a carrier arrangement in which both the configuration of the frame as well as the position of the support members can be adjusted according to the configuration of the vehicle, with the frame and support components being adjustable about a common pivot axis.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an equipment carrier in which the configuration of the equipment carrier can be quickly and easily altered according to the configuration of the vehicle to which the equipment carrier is to be mounted. It is a further object of the invention to provide such an equipment carrier which is movable between an operative extended position for providing use of the carrier, and an inoperative collapsed position for storage. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an equipment carrier in which the configuration of the equipment carrier is fixed in response to movement of one of the components of the equipment carrier, such as one of the carrier frames, to an operative position from an inoperative position for storage or adjustment. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an equipment carrier having a relatively small number of components, which results in a relatively inexpensive cost of manufacture. A still further object of the invention is to provide such an equipment carrier which is relatively simple in its components and construction, yet which is capable of being quickly and easily reconfigured for use or moved to a collapsed condition for storage.
In accordance with the present invention, an equipment carrier adapted for mounting to a vehicle, such as to the rear area of a vehicle, includes an upper member or frame having an upper or forward engagement area adapted for engagement with the vehicle, and a lower member or frame having a lower engagement area adapted for engagement with the vehicle below the forward engagement area. A variable position engagement arrangement is interposed between the upper frame and the lower frame, for enabling adjustment in the axial position of the forward engagement area relative to the lower engagement area. A support arrangement is interconnected with the upper and lower frames for supporting one or more items of equipment. In one form, the support arrangement is in the form of a rearward extension of the upper frame. The upper frame may be constructed to include a pair of axially extending upper frame members, and the lower frame may be constructed to include a pair of lower frame members that extend outwardly from the upper frame members when the lower frame member is in its operative position. A hub member is interposed between each axially extending upper frame member and one of the lower frame members. Each lower frame member is movably mounted to one of the hub members for providing movement of the lower frame between its operative and inoperative positions, such as by means of a pivot connection between the hub member and the lower frame member. Each hub member preferably defines a passage within which one of the upper frame members is slidably received. In this manner, the upper frame is movable relative to the hub member, and thereby relative to the lower frame member mounted to the hub member, to provide adjustment in the position of the upper engagement area relative to the lower engagement area.
The variable position engagement arrangement is operable to selectively fix the position of the upper frame members within the hub members when the lower frame is in its operative position, so as to selectively fix the position of the forward engagement area of the upper frame relative to the lower engagement area of the lower frame. In one form, the variable position engagement arrangement includes a series of openings in each upper frame member. An engagement member is movable into a selected one of the openings when the lower frame is in its operative position. The engagement member may be mounted directly to an upper end defined by each lower frame member, with the upper and lower frame members being arranged and configured so as to position the engagement member within one of the upper frame member openings when the lower frame is in its operative position. A biasing arrangement may be associated with the engagement member, to urge the engagement member outwardly toward an extended engaged position relative to the upper end of the lower frame member. The biasing arrangement enables the engagement member to be moved to a retracted disengaged position, in the event the lower frame member is moved to its operative position and the engagement member is not in alignment with one of the openings in the upper frame member. The upper frame members can then be axially moved to a desired position while the lower frame is in its operative position, and the outward bias on the engagement members is operable to move the engagement members into one of the upper frame member openings when one of the openings is moved into alignment with the engagement member.
With this construction, the carrier can be collapsed by pivoting the lower frame relative to the hub members toward the upper frame, and the upper frame can be moved axially within the hub member passages to shorten the overall length of the collapsed carrier. In use, the upper frame is moved to a desired position relative to the hub members, and the lower frame is then moved to its operative position to move the engagement members into engagement with one of the openings in each upper frame member, to fix the position of the upper frame relative to the hub members, and thereby relative to the lower frame.
The invention also contemplates an improvement in an equipment carrier adapted for mounting to a vehicle, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.